Mariah Carey ‘Mortified’ Over New Year’s Eve Performance
Mariah Carey has spoken out saying she is “mortified” over her infamous New Year’s Eve performance. The star sat down Tuesday in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly where she aired her thoughts on the incident.
Prior to the interview, Carey’s only response to the mishap had been a tweet acknowledging that “s**t happens.”
Right off the bat, the singer was asked her feelings on the performance and if the on-air incident would make her reconsider live televised performances in the future. Carey replied by referencing her relationship with the late Dick Clark, founder of the production company behind New Years Rockin’ Eve.
“I’m of the opinion that Dick Clark would not have let an artist go through that and he would have been as mortified as I was in real time.”
In what is good news for fans, Carey dismissed rumors she would refrain from televised performances in the future.
“It’s not going to stop me from doing a live event in the future. But it will make me less trusting of using anyone outside of my own team.”
The singer continued, thanking her fans and those in the industry for their support following the incident.
“My true fans have been so supportive and I am so appreciative of them and everybody in the media that came out to support me after the fact because it really was an incredible holiday season that turned into a horrible New Year’s Eve.”
Earlier this week, Carey’s manager, Stella Bulochnikov released a statement suggesting that the Dick Clark production team were at fault for failing to fix an issue with Carey’s in-ear earphones.
“We told them [the stage managers] that the in-ears were not working 10 minutes before the performance. They then changed the battery pack, and they were still not working on the frequency four minutes before the show. We let them know again, and they just kept counting her down and reassuring her that they will work as soon as they go live, which never happened — at which point she pulled them out but could not hear the music over the crowd.”
Fans of Carey’s recent reality show Mariah’s World will be familiar with Bulochnikov’s fiery nature, especially when Carey’s reputation is at stake.
"This is how glamorous life is on the other side for a working mommy." #MariahsWorld pic.twitter.com/5erruckKiy
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 2, 2017
She continued on the fallout with the production team following the mishap.
“After the show, I called [Dick Clark Productions’] Mark Shimmel and I said, ‘What the f— happened?’ He said, ‘Let me call you back,’ then called me back and confirmed the in-ears were not working and asked if I would make a joint statement. I said, ‘No way.’ I asked him to cut the West Coast feed. He said he could not do that. I asked him why would they want to run a performance with mechanical glitches unless they just want eyeballs at any expense… It’s not artist friendly, especially when the artist cut her vacation short as a New Year’s Eve gift to them.”
A representative from Dick Clark Productions has refuted Bulochnikov’s claims, while the company has released a statement claiming the technical difficulties were the result of Carey failing to attend rehearsals earlier that day – a statement that seems false if the star’s Instagram account is anything to go by.
Regardless of who is to blame, there is no doubt Carey has emerged from the incident as composed as ever and ready to take 2017 by storm. Mariah’s World airs at 9pm/8c Sunday’s on E.
[Featured Image by Greg Allen/ AP Images]
